Why should I care to learn?

One thing to keep in mind in this post, learning can happen in many forms. It’s a means of acquiring knowledge or skill. Think of learning in the broadest possible sense.

Imagine that all the knowledge in the world divided into sections. I like to imagine that each section is like the Wardrobe in Narnia. Start digging in and you find that each section is a completely whole realm you can be totally immersed in. When you find something you are genuinely curious about, that there is a beautiful thing. It’s adventurous! Time spent doing that thing feels truly worth it. It’s pleasant and generally without regret. It is one of the things in life I’ve felt the spirit of adventure. I think learning is awesome because you get to experience these things.

Learning also enables your thinking. Your thought process is strengthened as you add more perspectives on the world around you. Your approaches to various scenarios increase in quantity and quality.

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail”

When you’re equipped with experience, knowledge, and understanding, you’re adding tools to your tool-belt. You’re also improving how you use your tools.

Empowered thinking hopefully entails empowered action. Sometimes you learn things you can apply immediately. Other times you learn things you apply after some time. As you go about your day, look for places where you can use your acquired knowledge. Your brain now has access to a broader range of thoughts it can make use of. Your experience and knowledge combine to make what you offer unique. I think it’s wonderful knowing nothing you ever go through is wasted. You can always bring something valuable to the table.

One of the most debilitating mindsets is the I-can’t-do-this mindset. Sometimes it is obvious enough to notice. You notice it in yourself or others around you. But other times it’s such a subtle and commonly accepted/overlooked part of society and individuals - it’s how things are. I think this mindset is highly correlated with a fixed mindset or apathy. Both of which are so lame! Through effort and learning, I believe you can get to a point where you can do things.

Matthew McConaughey has a wonderful story from his childhood. His father asked him to do something. He tinkered with it for 3 minutes and said to his father “I can’t do it”.

“Yet,” his father said. “You can’t do it yet.” From that day on, he would not be allowed to say “I can’t do it”. “Yet” changes everything. You have an amazing mind! Whatever it is, maybe you can’t do it yet.

TL;DR: Learning lets you in on a life of adventure and exploration! It empowers your thinking and actions! It gives you the freedom to achieve anything!